Chinese characters have been created as characters, and the formation of the Chinese characters is generally classified by the Chinese Hexateuch theory. The Chinese characters originally started from hieroglyphic characters, but the Chinese Hexateuch theory could represent concepts or existences that could not be expressed by the hieroglyphic characters, using other methods. That is, the Chinese Hexateuch theory refers to methods of forming Chinese characters using three factors, i.e., shape, pronunciation and meaning. In the Chinese Hexateuch theory, Chinese characters are classified into six categories, i.e., pictogram, ideograph, logical aggregates, pictophonetic compounds, borrowing and associate transformation.
In the Chinese Hexateuch theory, combined characters occupy 90% of 23000 characters recorded in Yukryakseo (Chinese document) published in 12th century, and occupy 97% of 48641 characters in Ganghuijajeon (Chinese dictionary) published in 1716. Generally, 80% of Chinese characters used by Koreans are combined characters, and almost 100% of difficult Chinese characters not used by Koreans are combined characters. The combined characters are formed so that learners can easily understand their meanings and easily pronounce. Hence, if the learners understand the forming reason or principle of the combined characters without unconditionally memorizing the combined characters, the learners can easily learn the combined characters. Thus, the learning ability of the Chinese characters can be quickly increased by understanding the forming reason or principle of the combined characters.
In Korea, Hangul (Korean language) is used in ordinary words, but characters representing their meanings are mostly composed of Chinese characters. As the economy of China is rapidly grown, interest in Chinese characters has been increased. Accordingly, the important of Chinese learning is increased, and there are proposed various methods in which a learner having a learning ability of Chinese characters to a certain level or more can enjoyably learn Chinese characters without any sense of boredom.
Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2007-0060234, entitled by “On-line Chinese character learning game” has been disclosed as a conventional Chinese character learning game. In the game, graphic characters, each of which is created to have an entire outer shape capable of reminding a learner of a Chinese character, are shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, a first graphic character is created to have the entire outer shape of a heart. In order to provide the learner with a clear feeling ‘Love,’ the heart-shaped character has a gently smiling figure formed on a front 10a thereof, and has a Chinese character ‘love ae ()’ formed on a rear thereof. A second character is created as a graphic character having an entire outer shape of cloud. Similarly, a figure forming the cloud-shaped character is formed together with the outer shape on a front 20 of the cloud-shaped character, and a Chinese character ‘cloud un ()’ is formed on a rear 20b of the cloud-shaped character.
However, in such a character forming method, the meaning of a Chinese character is simplified as a graphic character, and hence, the learner should learn, one by one, the pronunciation and meaning of a large number of Chinese characters without understanding the forming principle of the Chinese characters. Therefore, the learner has considerable difficulty in learning Chinese characters having strange and complicated shapes, and easily loses interest. Accordingly, the learner does not have a high learning effect of Chinese characters.